Old Theorems New

I've been amused at the recent, flash-in-the-pan popularity of the FOX game show, "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" My kids think it is pretty funny, and on the few occasions we've watched the show together, they press me to guess the answers, hoping I'll get them wrong.

Much of the banter around the water cooler at work has focused on objections to the show. However, whether the contestants are tricked, or the kids are coached, the most fundamental observation explaining the poor performance of the adults on the show is that you tend to forget what you don't use.

This observation came to mind recently when I was reading a brief in a recent issue of the Harvard Business Review. The short article, written by Michael Schrage, a professor at MIT, caught my eye because it was under the heading of Knowledge Management. As the codirector of the Media Lab's e-Markets Initiative, Schrage described how many business are putting abstract mathematical theorems and algorithms to work in practical ways.

Advanced equations and algorithms that even 15 years ago were impractical because of their complexity, are now being gainfully employed with computing power unthinkable when they were created. Because of this trend, Schrage indicates that businesses are looking for new directions in old theorems.

It all made me wonder where my old Calculus books are (actually, they are on the bottom shelf of the second bookcase from the right in my library...) I may or may not be smarter than a 5th grade most days, but I'm sure I couldn't take my Calculus finals again and earn a passing grade. Considering the trends Schrage described in the HBR article, maybe it's time to dust of some of those old theorems again - I might just find the next big thing in business.

Light it up...

Rob